Tim Pawlenty on Education

Republican MN Governor

Let school districts decide on teaching intelligent design

Q: When you served as governor in Minnesota you named an education commissioner who equated the teaching of creationism with the teaching of evolution. Do you equate the teaching of creationism with the teaching of evolution, as the basis for what should
be taught in our nation's schools?

A: The approach we took in Minnesota is to say there should be room in the curriculum for study of intelligent design. Didn't need to be in science class. We didn't decide that at the state level.
We left that up to the local districts and parents; I think that's a reasonable and appropriate approach.

Parents should have educational options, like home schooling

Public education must be improved, but families also deserve better access to˙more options, such as charter schools and home schooling, he said,
calling the public school system a government-run, lethargic monopoly.

Source: IowaCauus.com, "Pawlenty in Iowa City"
, Feb 7, 2011

1991: lengthening the school year for high schoolers

In 1991, a State House seat opened up in Pawlenty's district. He announced his candidacy, focusing on jobs and education reform.
For the latter, he advocated lengthening the secondary school year so that students could compete better internationally, and supported performance-based funding of schools.

3R solution: Rigor, Relevance, & Results for high schools

In his fifth State of the State speech, Pawlenty labeled the state's high schools "obsolete." He proposed a "3R" solution: "rigor, relevance, results." Students in the
3R schools would have to complete the equivalent of a full year in college before receiving their high school diplomas.
After completion, they would receive their first year at a state university free, and scholarships would be provided for "at-risk" children. They would be required to take four full years of a foreign language, and extra emphasis would be placed on
math, science, technology and engineering. The program would also increase funding of schools by four percent, with half of the funding contingent upon the school meeting its goals.

Require Pledge of Allegiance in public schools

Repealed the
Profile of Learning and raised the bar on education with: Minnesota Academic Standards--rigorous academic requirements for math, reading, science, social studies and arts.

Source: Campaign website, www.timpawlenty.com, “Issues”
, Nov 7, 2006

Student standards & teacher standards

Pawlenty feels we should properly fund our schools but also hold them accountable for improved student achievement. The state should assess student progress & hold districts accountable for improved results.
More rigorous graduation standards for all students need to be implemented statewide. We need performance pay for school staff. Our seniority only salary system is out of date and we should be rewarding teachers for performance.